In building processes, usually, a computer-aided design system (hereinafter, called a CAD system) is introduced into each process constituting the building processes. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Laid-Open No. 6-89314 describes a system that can be applied to an equipment design process among building processes. This system can quickly design an equipment that satisfies a requirements specification of a building designer.
On the other hand, information is transferred between processes solely by the medium of paper. For example, between a building frame design process and an equipment design process, specifications are usually transmitted and matched (for study of interference between a building and an equipment, and study of equipment fixing structure) on paper.
For transferring CAD data between CAD systems, the “DXF format” that defines an intermediate file format is used as a de facto standard for data exchange. For example, “A sequel to Wise use of a building CAD”, published by Nikkei BP, Ltd. August, 1997, pp. 63–69 describes a system in which a constructor or the like obtains CAD symbol data (in the DXF format) of various equipments from the equipment makers' side (equipment designers' side), through Internet, personal computer communication, or the like. According to this system, a building designer can grasp a shape and size of a required equipment quickly and easily, and can make a study of interference whereby it is decided if the equipment can be housed in a building frame under design based on the grasped contents.